The Tissue Procurement Core is designed to facilitate human specimen-based cancer research. The Core assists Siteman Cancer Center (SCC) investigators in all aspects of prospective study design, from the development of appropriate informed consent documents to protocols for specimen collection, storage and processing. The Core also maintains an archive of several thousand snap frozen tissue specimens representing both common and rare tumor types. Approved investigators may immediately access these specimens for retrospective translational studies. Emphasis is placed on delivering quality-controlled histological sections or purified macromolecules (RNA, genomic DNA, protein extracts) to the investigator for immediate use in histological, genetic or biochemical studies. In addition, the Core provides SCC members access to new technologies for tissue-based research, such as Laser Capture Tissue Microdissection (LCM) and Tissue Microarray (TMA) construction. To date, the Core has assisted several funded SCC members from multiple research programs (both basic science and clinical investigation) in the collection and utilization of human tumor tissue specimens.